The northern New Jersey chapter of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) is hosting a “Step Out Walk to Stop Diabetes” this afternoon at Hoboken’s Pier A Park to raise awareness and funds to fight the disease.

This morning roughly twenty volunteers setup shop at the Sinatra Drive and First Street park in preparation for the first walkers who are expected to beginning their stroll around the pier for charity at 12 p.m..

The four-hour event is a first for the ADA at Hoboken, said Erin O‘Neill, associate director of Step Out Walk to Stop Diabetes New Jersey & North East Pennsylvania, who is hopeful the organization will hit its goal of $20,000.

The funds and today’s awareness campaign is part of a nationwide fight against the metabolic disease effecting those with high blood sugar either due to genetics, a poor diet, or both. According to the latest statistics, O’Neill said eight percent of adults in New Jersey have diabetes and 62 percent are at risk of developing it.

The numbers of those diagnosed with the disease are exceptionally high among Native Americans, African Americans, and Latinos, organizers said. Most causes of diabetes are related to sedentary lifestyles, consumption of unhealthy foods, and genetics.

“If you have all those things and a genetic disposition you’re really at risk,” said John Colaizzi, pharmacy supervisor at Walgreens, one of the event sponsors.

Diabetes can lead to blindness, ulcers, amputations, and strokes but can be prevented in most cases with regular exercise and smarter dieting decisions, organizers said.